By UGM collaborator, Neetu from Cinnamon's Synonyms!
Spring is here... and summer is near! You know what that means... swimsuit season! This also means time to face the fact that I can't hide under baggy sweatshirts anymore :'( sniff.
On a serious note... it really is all about being healthy! My energy levels have been so low lately and I blame it on all the chocolate I have been eating (I may have a slight chocolate addiction).
This is how I sustained my addiction over the past school year, perhaps you can relate:
1. September: Buy Halloween candy for October. Eat all the candy. Go out and buy more so I actually have candy to hand out to the kids.
1. October: Raid son's Halloween bag. Take out my fave chocolates (all that sugar isn't good for him anyway!).
2. November: Continue eating Halloween candy. Holiday parties begin. Eat chocolate at all the parties. Notice that stretchy pants are getting tight (uh oh!!).
3. December: Receive way too many chocolates from students. Eat chocolates from students.
4. January: Continue eating Christmas chocolates, thanks to all my students who LOVE buying me chocolates.
5. February: Valentines chocolates.
6. March: See Easter chocolates everywhere. Must eat.
7. April: Easter is here. Continue eating Easter chocolates!!
End of April: Realize I've gained ten pounds and none of last summer's clothes fit me anymore. *Sniff*
I love sweet stuff but I also enjoy being healthy... sooo I've been on a hunt for healthy-esque recipes to help me through my addiction!
Looky what I found... it's not chocolate... but it has cinnamon and sweetness and everything I need to satisfy my sweet tooth! Plus it's packed with protein - something you just can't find in a Mars Bar!
To check out the recipe for these healthy cinnamon buns, click on the image. "Get Fit With Sonia" is my go to blog for healthy recipes right now! I'm loving it! Tons of healthy twists on sugary treats!!
Now if I could just hit the gym a little more often, I would be on my way to fitting into last summer's clothes again! ;)
Comment below if you have some recipes for healthy treats! I would love to add them to my recipe box! Healthy teachers make happy teachers, so make sure you're taking care of yourselves my friends!!
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Sunday, April 26, 2015
Tips for Staying Positive at the End of the School Year!
Let’s face it. The end of the school year holds some of the
hardest weeks of the entire year! It can be some of the most stressful weeks,
too. Whether you’re testing students day in and day out, you’re tackling
end-of-year paper work on each and every student, or getting over the recent
shock of being reassigned to a new grade level for the next school year – it
can be overwhelming!
Trust me - no one needs this blog post more than me! This
time of the year is always so hard. Right now I’m spending my days reviewing
absolutely everything I’ve ever taught this year and getting ready for THE
TEST! You know that test. The one that determines how “effective” I am as a teacher.
With the demands we face as teachers it’s easy to complain,
but it’s also exhausting. So, after this past week (yes, it was a crazy one) I
decided that I definitely needed some positivity in my life! I’m sure if you’re
reading this, and you’re a teacher, you can relate. So with a month of school
left (32 to be exact for me) there are things I (we) can do to make life a
little easier and help bring about a more positive attitude.
#1 GET ENOUGH SLEEP – yeah, yeah, yeah…I know. What is that?
As a teacher with 2 jobs (Yes TpT counts as a second job. If you’re a seller
you know what I mean!) I rarely get enough sleep. I stay up late working at
night and regret it every morning. Just
remember our emotions are at an all-time high when we are tired, and it’s really
easy to overthink things.
#2 SLOW DOWN & BREATHE – the end of the year will come
and go just like every other year and I (we) have always survived just fine,
test scores and all! Life is hectic; the end of the school year is even more
hectic. Take a minute to relax and have some “me time” even if it’s only for 30
minutes.
#3 MAKE A LIST – a TO-DO list, and not just any TO-DO list a
RUNNING TO-DO list. What do you need to accomplish before the end of year? Include
anything and everything you can think of – even down to the very last day of
packing up your room. Now, prioritize that list. What is most important? What
needs to be done now? Keep your list handy at all times, add to it as you think
of things, and mark each item off as you do it. You’ll feel a sense of pride
and accomplishment at the end of the day. (Okay – if you’re not an OCD list
person like I am, this may not work for you, but I encourage you to give it a
shot!)
So, I’ve spent my weekend sleeping, resting, and making my
to-do list. Yes, it’s quite a list to say the least! Yes, it’s overwhelming to
look at, but I’ve already crossed a few things off, and tomorrow I’ll cross off
more. The end is in sight!
Teachers often go unrecognized and unappreciated. So, if you’re
having a hard day, week (or in my case) a hard year in general it’s important
to remember…
What do you do to get through those last few weeks of school
each year? I’d love to hear how you manage to stay positive and stress free!
Comment below and help me add to my tips.
Wanna read more about my crazy end of year chaos? Read my latest
blog post here.
Students need encouragement, too! Who wouldn’t get stressed
about taking a 3 hour long test for 2-3 days just to prove they’ve mastered
every single skill for the year? Check out my student encouragement desk tags
and notes from home. My students love these every year, and the notes from home
makes the perfect bulletin board display during testing.
Monday, April 20, 2015
Healthy & Easy Teacher Lunches and Snacks
One of the most common conversations I hear in our lunch room is eating healthy. Between the sweet treats students bring in and the utter lack of time in our day, we usually end up eating quick and unhealthy meals (or even worse, cafeteria food!).
It took a complete revamp of our finances to even inspire me to take the time to eat in a healthier (and cheaper) way. Over the last couple of years I've made it my mission to find great healthy teacher lunches!
Finding Healthy Lunches on Pinterest
There are A LOT of Pinterest posts to sort through on healthy lunches. I've learned to look for a few details when sifting through all of these recipes:
- 5 ingredients or less is very important in order to save time and money
- grouping recipes with shared ingredients also saves time and money
- pictures that show how the meal is organized in a container are even more helpful
My last piece of advice for Pinterest is to try 1-2 recipes every week so that it's not completely overwhelming!
Below is my Pinterest board with my very favorite teacher lunch ideas!
Follow Performing in Education's board Pack a Lunch! on Pinterest.
Packing Your Lunch
Invest in some good containers! If you like having snacks to go with your lunch, try these 3-compartment containers. If you prefer hot lunches, Pyrex glass containers are a great choice!
I find that the morning between breakfast and lunch is when I end up eating the most sweet treats, so having healthy snacks is really important. I purchase nuts, healthier popcorn, and granola to put in snack size bags for my classroom. I keep these close to eat whenever I see a cupcake or feel like I need a boost.
My Snack Bin
My favorite snack lately is BOOMCHICKAPOP. The sea salt popcorn is delicious and is one of the few appealing snacks I could find without sugar. I picked up my bag at Target!
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Ten Ways to Boost Teacher Morale
Teaching is a calling. Seriously, it is one of the hardest jobs in the world. The graphic below shows just a few of the jobs that teachers do on a daily basis.
I could have listed many, many more. So if teaching is such a hard job, then why do we do it? It's simple - we love it. Teaching is in
our hearts. We love students and we love helping them learn.
Teachers love students, and they love teaching. But they work hard. Very hard. It's also April, which means that the end of the school year is approaching. I don't know about you, but I'm tired. This is a hard time of the year. You're probably trying to cram everything in, teach those very important lessons, assessing students, or preparing students for the dreaded words - end of grade testing. So how can we, as teachers, help other teachers? I have 10 ways that you can help boost morale among teachers during one of the hardest parts of the school year.
1. Praise their teaching.
Will your administrators let you observe a colleague? If so, choose someone that you would like to see teach. We all have unique teaching styles and we can learn a lot from watching each other. Don't stay long - 15 minutes will do just fine. As you watch them teach, use this "Praise Report" to write down a few things you love about them. You can write about their teaching style, their lesson, their classroom management, etc. Whatever you choose to write about, keep it POSITIVE! Copy your note and give it to your administrator. Give the original note to your colleague. It's amazing what a positive note from a colleague will do for your spirit.
2. Write a handwritten note. In today's society, we are overloaded with e-mails. But how often do you write notes? Get some new, pretty stationary and write a note to a colleague. Tell them what makes them a wonderful teacher and something that you admire about them. Put the note in their school mailbox and be assured that it will brighten their day. Check out some of my favorite sellers:
3. Bake something sweet. Everyone loves homemade baked goods! Choose a teacher, a team of teachers, the custodial staff, etc., that deserves a treat. Make a batch of chocolate chip cookies, a loaf of sourdough bread, or some fudge. Anyone who tastes your treat will be very appreciative!
4. Give them a break! Do you have any time to spare? Consider giving up a lunch period, a planning period, or any other time you can find. Surprise your colleague and tell them to go take a break! If the teacher isn't big on surprises, schedule some time with them. They can plan an easy lesson for your to teach or just let you supervise a work session. They can relax in the teacher's lounge, get caught up on e-mail in the computer lab, or hide in the library and read a chapter in their favorite book. Who doesn't love the gift of time?!
5. Treat someone with a gift card. You can buy someone a gift card and tell them to treat themselves. It doesn't have to be expensive - consider a $5 or $10 gift card to a fast food restaurant, a coffee shop, or an office supply store. A small amount can go a long way to make your colleague feel special. If you're feeling generous, you can always treat someone to a larger amount. Just do what you feel led to do. Want to make it anonymous? That's fun, too! Just sign it, "Have a treat on me!" and draw a smiley face.
6. Compliments. Do you have a die-cut machine? Do you have a parent volunteer that can cut out a simple shape, such as a heart or star? Get some colorful construction paper and write a kind note to the teachers on your hallway. Write one compliment on the shape and tape it to their door or leave it in their school mailbox. This is a simple way to remind a friend how special they are.
7. Make a themed treat bag.
Does your colleague enjoy watching movies? Consider buying them a movie ticket, a bag of popcorn, and a soda. Tie a cute ribbon on it and deliver to your friend. Maybe your friend is a new mom who could use a night out. Offer to baby sit so she can have a night out with her husband. Or offer to babysit so she can nap or take a much-needed bubble bath. Need more ideas? Check out the thousands of creative boards on Pinterest!
8. Give the gift of school supplies! Teachers always have a favorite classroom supply - the staple that they can not do without. I happen to love Papermate Flair pens. I mess up all the time, so correction tape would be a blessing to me! Find out what your colleague enjoys and sneak some supplies on their desk.
9. Create a teacher brag board. Do you have a spare bulletin board in your school? If so, ask your administration if you can create a "Teacher Brag Board." Choose a teacher to feature each week. Ask them to bring in a favorite photo and post on the board. Ask all teachers to write a short note to the teacher - something the teacher has done that has left an impact on them. Make sure to make a schedule for the board so that all teachers are featured before the year is over. If you would like to start this now, you could feature several teachers a week so that everyone has a turn. You could spotlight grade levels for each week. There are so many options for this - be creative!
10. Create a memorable scrapbook. What teacher needs an extra boost? Contact a parent volunteer from his/her classroom. Work with this parent to make a scrapbook for your colleague. Make it easy. Give each student a piece of colored paper to take home and decorate. Instruct them to include a picture of themselves and write a favorite memory of the year. Bind them together at your school or a local print shop. Is that a little too much work for now? Make a banner! Find an excuse for your teacher friend to leave the room. Get some larger construction paper, poster paper, or any other materials. Make a sign telling the teacher how much everyone appreciates him or her. All the students can sign it. Then you can hang it up outside of their classroom.
Your Turn!
What have you done to boost teacher morale? I would love to hear your ideas on how to recognize those special teachers in your school. Please comment below if you're willing to share!
Labels:
gifts,
teacher appreciation,
teacher morale
Thursday, April 9, 2015
Spring Has Sprung! Kind of...
Hoppy Spring!
What a fun way to display springtime poetry! Right in the middle of these cheerful flowers!
Don't you just love these cute, little bunnies?
This class made a little flower garden right at floor level. Clever!
You can't look at this display of colorful eggs without smiling!
Little chicks are chirping and yellow bees are buzzing!
If you are looking for a poetic way to celebrate spring with your intermediate-level students, check out Shelly Rees's April Reading/ELA Packet. It is packed with informational text passages, games, activities, poetry, and writing activities all related to the month of April!
Monday, April 6, 2015
Wildflowers in the Spring
Welcome to Upper Grade Memoirs. I'm Sandy Cangelosi of Sweet Integrations. This month our theme is "spring activities and ideas." Our group of bloggers will share ideas, memories and activities focused around spring.
If you live in the south (in my case, Texas) your favorite time of the year is probably spring with the blooming of the brightly colored flowers. It's definitely mine. The wildflowers here in the hill country are magnificent this year.
In Austin, we are proud to have the Lady Bird Wildflower Research Center. Lady Bird helped establish the Wildflower Center as a way to help scientists study the uses and effects of wildflowers. Scientists also collect the collect the seeds of those wildflowers that are becoming extinct.
I recently went to the Wildflower Center and took beautiful pictures of the native plants, gardens, ponds, streams, a butterfly garden and A GREAT-HORNED OWL. (If you look closely below, the owl is sitting on the ledge to the right of the cactus.) There's also a new family garden which is full of activities, a waterfall and a learning center.
Before you visit the Wildflower Center or study about wildflowers or native plants, I highly recommend this book. Miss Lady Bird's Wildflowers tells about Lady Bird Johnson's life and her love of wildflowers. I'll always cherish this book because it was given to me by her family.
“The environment is where we all meet; where all have a mutual interest;
it is the one thing all of us share.
It is not only a mirror of ourselves, but a focusing lens on what we can become.”
- Lady Bird Johnson
I have suggestions for a few spring activities that include wildflowers or native plants.
1. Take a digital nature walk - You can plan a scavenger hunt and tell students what they need to photo or students can take pictures on their own and choose their own topic. The images can be imported into a slideshow and share the finished products with the class.
2. Wildflower Poetry - Choose several pictures for the students to write poems. With April being Poetry Month, it's a great opportunity for students to write and learn about different types of poems.
3. Wildflower Legends - Every year, I use this time to study legends. Tomie de Paola has two wonderful books about wildflowers. The Legend of the Bluebonnet and The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush are favorites. After completing the book study, students can even write their own legend about a favorite wildflower.
4. Plant Study - Use wildflowers and native plants as the focus of your plant study. Students can dissect flowers to learn about different parts, plant seeds and visit different sites about plants and wildflowers.
Recommended Websites
What's your favorite wildflower in the area where you live? Leave your answer in the "comments" below.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Hoppy Easter!
Happy Easter from Upper Grade Memoirs! We've teamed up to offer you some of our favorite spring freebies, activities, and a giveaway in our HOPPY Easter Blog Hop!!! We invite you to squeeze in a little time during your busy weekend to grab a few ideas and resources to add to your spring repertoire.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
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